On November 15, around 11,069 workers of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) will vote for union recognition. This time there is every probability of a direct fight between the Rourkela Ispat Karakhana Karmachari Sangh (RIKKS), an affiliated wing of BMS, and the Gangpur Mazdoor Manch (GMM) and the Rourkela Shramik Sangha (RSS), an affiliated wing of INTUC, combine.
If the vote calculation of last (2018) election is taken into consideration, then the arithmetic goes in favour of GMM and RSS combine. In 2018 while total polling was 12,423, the RIKKS had won, by fetching 4,861 votes. The RSS had fetched 3,760 votes(2nd position) and GMM 2,353 votes (3rd position).
But this time forecasting the result is very tough because almost all NJCS (National Joint Committee for Steels) member unions are in dock as the workers still are deprive of many genuine entitlements and dues, including wage revision for last 58 months. Though an MoU was signed in last NJCS on October 22 but it gives a clear message that the management not only succeeded to make division among the NJCS member unions but it also succeeded to impose its decision on the workers. That is why a ‘blame game’ among the unions has been continuing ever since.
As the INTUC along with HMS and AITUC signed the MoU coming down to the previous demands as put before the management by all five NJCS member unions regarding perks and other benefits, the BMS along with CITU refrained themselves from signing the MoU. So, in this context the BMS has been trying to put INTUC in dock that it has not only back stabbed but also shaken hands with the management by compromising the interest of the workers. On the other hand, putting the BMS in dock, the INTUC charged as to why the BMS could not make any agreement for a long time though its supported party, BJP, is in Government at the Centre? Secondly, it was the Union Steel Minister for whom the NJCS meeting could not be held for three years while due to the inordinate delay, the workers were losing huge amounts, the INTUC said. The BMS alleged that without any certainty of pay fixation time, arrear disbursement and other benefits, the INTUC and other two unions signed the agreement after being biased by the management.
While RSS was claiming that the arrears from April, 2020 was to be credited to workers’ account by November 3, but in reality, it was not yet disbursed. On the other hand, RSS claimed that knowingly BMS (RIKKS) had been delaying it in connivance with the Steel Ministry.
Besides the blame game, the RIKKS has released an 18- point agenda along with its achievements during its last two tenure recognition period, while RSS has also released a leaflet explaining its achievement between 1995 and 2014 when it was a recognized union for five times consecutively.
Similarly, RMS (HMS) which was a recognized union for 28 years till 1995, putting both BMS and RSS in dock for their failure to safeguard the interest of the workers, has also released a manifesto.
The SETU (CITU) blaming both INTUC and RSS as anti-worker and BMS as having failed to protect the interest of the workers for last 7 years, has released its manifesto with an appeal to workers to give it a chance as they have already tested RMS, RSS and BMS.
So it will be clear on November 25, how the workers are convinced with the claims of different unions.